Pixel Joint, a community for pixel artists is one of my favorite haunts to find new and cool pictures for my beading projects. Every so often I find amazing remakes of videogame characters that scream to be made into a bead piece. The sprite, Leon Kroft by Rabidbaboy, you see above is not one of those.
However, the ones below are.
Guybrush remade by JinnDEvil
Final Fantasy X-2 Girls by Doctor Octoroc
Resident Evil fighting game by Chanfan
BioShock - 8 bit by Badassbill
I highly suggest checking out all the artwork on Pixel Joint because there are tons of cool animated and non-animated sprites to find on there. I wish I was so talented with the pixel to create such amazing artwork.
BioShock 2K Games, Irrational Games Available for Playstation 3 and Xbox 360
With so much information circulating on the internet currently about the next instalment in the BioShock series, BioShock 2: Sea of Dreams, I thought this would be the perfect time to review the Playstation 3 version of BioShock. Now originally BioShock was released on the Xbox 360 to a mass of clamouring fans who developed a taste for the game from its under-hyped demo released on Xbox Live. The first person shooter was an overnight success, but when 2K Games decided to release the title again on the Playstation 3, they thought it would be a good idea to create some additional downloadable content to be released along aside it as to entice the Sony crowd. Whether the new content made the different or not, the game sold and the Playstation crowd learned what it is like to visit the dark corners of Rapture.
BioShock begins with a horrifying plane crash in the 1960s and a lone survivor named Jack swimming from the wreckage towards a strange tower in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Having no where else to go, Jack must enter the building in which he finds the entrance to an underwater city called Rapture. Rapture was a city created by Andrew Ryan in 1946, as a place for brilliant minds to work together away from government rule. Unfortunately when Jack arrives Rapture had already begun its downward spiral and the city has been taken over by the Splicers, the insane or mutated citizens of Rapture.
Luckily for Jack, Atlas, one of the normal citizens of Rapture manages to contact him via Radio and asks that he save his wife and child in exchange for helping him escape from Rapture. By this point though, Alex Ryan has learn of Jack’s presence too and has sent enemies after you. Here this point on you must help Jack make all his choices in order to learn what happen to this utopian city and ultimately escape it.
While BioShock is a first person shooter in the fact that you use guns to defend yourself in the game, what really set this game apart from the normal FPS genre are the genetic enhancements. Along with guns and melee weapons, Jack will receive items called plasmids that will allow your character to use genetic enhancements like electric shock. There are also tonics in the game will give your character special perks such as damage resistance and camouflage. You will be able to purchase these items through the game with a substance called ADAM which is collecting via the Little Sisters in the game.
Little Sisters are products of the city of Rapture; human girls warped into collecting ADAM from the dead who are always protecting by giants in diving suits called Big Daddies. Big Daddies are nasty creatures as warped by the people of Rapture to destroy anyone who tries to hurt a Little Sister. As you dive further into the game, more in revealed about the history of these two Rapture creatures and you will learn there will be hard choices to in regards to their future.
Probably one of the most drawing aspects of BioShock is the graphics, which amazes you from the moment the plane hit’s the water. As Jack swims for his life in the Atlantic Ocean, you can’t help but spend a few moments watching the flames from the crash dance and reflect on the water. As you reach the strange building, you wander around inside and out gazing up at the architectural structure from the 1940s and feel like you are almost really there. Once inside Rapture, you’ll walk terrified through the dark halls waiting for the Splicers to pounce on you, and yet you still will be staring up at the wall of city, amazing by its beauty. My only complaint is that the developers didn’t take the time to put more variety into the different Splicers and their outfits, because it feels like you’re fighting the same people over and over again through the city.
Adding to the wonderful graphics, the sound, the music and the voiceovers were all stellar and really added to the life and atmosphere of Rapture. I believed every bit of this city to be real, and I feared it and loved it for every minute that I spent in it. From the creep voices of the Splicers calling out from the dark for your blood to the wonderful music from the 1940s era, the audio people didn’t miss a beat on adding to the world of Rapture.
Though this new Playstation 3 version could have still done with an online version or some co-op play, the exclusion of a new mode and some downloadable content definitely made my second trip to Rapture much more interesting. The new survivor mode made the enemies much tougher and the vita-chamber less useful for health boosts, and three new challenge rooms available for download at $10 gave me the opportunity to use my skills learn in Rapture to solve new puzzles and take out Big Daddies.
Being that this is my second time playing through BioShock, once on the Xbox 360 and now on Playstation 3, I think my choice to recommend this game as purchase is pretty obvious. From the fabulous storyline to the perfectly created world of Rapture, BioShock is one of those games that draws you into it and makes you believe it’s real. All it took was the demo for me to love this game; I know all it will take is the first 5 minutes for you to love it too. Rating: 10 out of 10 Buy it!
Created by Chris Furniss, this Big Daddy Munny inspired by same Big Daddies in BioShock is pretty cool looking. I know Chris wasn't happy with the final product by what he wrote in his Flickr page but I think it's pretty darn cool.
Chris also created a cute Moogle Munny as well.
If you're wondering like I was where you've heard Chris's name before, Chris is the Editor-In-Chief for The Weekly Geek and is quite active in the gaming community.
My favorite thing videogame related besides crafts is food and the best site for videogame food is Snack or Die. The owner, Jocelyn has been very busy making yummy creations for us in her kitchen and I just wanted to show off a few of my favorite recipes.
For the Rapture fans, there's Big Daddy Cupcakes from BioShock. These yummy treats are made with licorice, M&Ms, and lots of chocolate icing.
For the Sony Fanboys, there's Sackboy Cupcakes from LittleBigPlanet. So cute you want to gobble them up. These cupcakes are made with dobs of chocolate icing and M&Ms.
For the Lucas Arts fans, there's Purple and Green Tentacle Cookies from Day of the Tentacle. These are sugar cookies made with royal icing and apple jacks.
These are just a few of my favorite new recipes from Snack or Die, check out the whole site for a ton of great recipes to serve at your next LAN party.
I love to feature artists on my site and a while back I promised to post about an artist known as Maria Sunderland from Deviant Art.
Her real name is Jessika and she lives in Ottawa, Canada. She became interested in the arts when she was 13-years-old and is a huge fan of Sailor Moon and Sonic the Hedgehog. Jessika has a college degree in Fine Arts and a bachelor's degree in Arts and Design. Her art style tends to be more comic book and though she started her artwork as a hobby, she now takes orders for commissioned pieces. Jessika has done several videogame fan art pieces for BioShock, Silent Hill, Kingdom Hearts, Mortal Kombat and Resident Evil. I've posted a few of my favorite pieces from her Deviant Art page here, but please check out the whole gallery to see all her work and also check out her webcomic, Drunk Duck.
Looks like the PS3 version of BioShock has more on it than just a few extra levels. One user has revealed a secret trailer for BioShock 2: Sea of Dreams that unlocks when you complete the game on the good ending.
Looks like the trailer shows a little sister slightly grown up and holding a big daddy doll. She appears to be causing the sand to create a mini Rapture. Oh spooky.
Could this mean the little sisters you brought with you to the surface have passed something onto their daughters? Something sinister?
And what's the significance of the butterfly on the title screen at the end?
So many unanswered questions, but I'm just happy to see a trailer for this new BioShock game.
I've been a busy bee lately and thought I'd catch everyone up on my goings-on.
I've been playing lots of BioShock and I'm already on my second round through the game. I finished it on the "Good, non-harvesting" ending and now all those little darlings' adam is mine. *evil laugh*
I'm never been one for first person shooter but BioShock is just so pretty and I love the storyline. So, I'm allowing for a change in genres and playing the sucker on easy. I know ... I'm a pussy, but I want to finish this game in the next year, okay?!
I've also been playing Carcassonne like it's sugar laced with crack. It's so hard to find to people to play with though. No one seems to own the full version of this game. So everyone reading this, buy it ... buy it now, so you can play with me online.
I've been chatting with a new friend, Shermaine from Player1 magazine and we've been talking about me freelancing for the magazine. Nothing is for sure yet and don't panic, I'll still be blogging here and Destructoid. I will always be loyal to Destructoid as Niero has always been good to me and I would never leave Dtoid over anything. Even in death, I plan to blog from the grave.
Work is crappy as always and my job hunt has turned to thoughts of school. I love to write, but I need more training, cause we all know my grammer blows. So in the Spring, I may opt for an online writing course at Niagara College, so I can see how I'll handle the homework thing again and then I'll look into full time school or something. Besides, employers tend to be more dazzled by diplomas, then real life experience alone.
I'm still selling all my goodies over on Etsy.com @ pixelatedcreations.etsy.com. I have everything from Chocobo bag tags to Ms Pac Man key chains. Take a look and buy from me! I'm up to my ears in Perler Beads. Prices are $10 and down and shipping is $2 for US and Canada.
I'm also selling tons of stuff on eBay. I'm addicted to that site now. I spend way too much on there as is, but I love selling on there too. It's like a never ending garage sale. I may throw some more games up soon from my PC collection and my RPG books from Changeling and Vampire.
Well, that's all for now. Thanks for reading and keep reading Dtoid too.
Now there's an image to keep you wake at night.
Guybrush remade by JinnDEvil
Final Fantasy X-2 Girls by Doctor Octoroc
Resident Evil fighting game by Chanfan
BioShock - 8 bit by Badassbill
